First of all: What exactly is the defense reservation? In short: The scheme that means that Denmark does not take part in making decisions about, pay for or participate in military activities under the auspices of the EU. It all really started back in 1972. In October this year, the Danes were to vote on whether the country should join the EC, the forerunner of the EU. The yes side had a headwind in the election campaign, and it ended up with 63.4 percent voting to join the EC. There was broad political agreement as well. Even the peasant party Venstre recommended voting “yes”. 1972: With a convincing majority, the Danes joined the EC. The “Yes” posters dominated the Town Hall Square in Copenhagen the day before the vote. Photo: PHS / Ap But 20 years later, a number of EC countries would become even closer together. Especially on foreign and security policy, and the economic field. The Cold War was over. A new European course was to be staked out. The negotiations in the EC resulted in the Maastricht Treaty – which became the basis of the European Union, the EU. Scrapping the entire EU In Denmark, it was decided to hold a referendum on the treaty. But then the yes wave had subsided. There was a narrow no-majority, to the great despair of Prime Minister Poul Schlüter and Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen. A no to the Maastricht Treaty was a no to the EU, and Denmark faced an uncertain future. So did the union, because there was no plan B. WITH PIPE: The then Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen became known for his optimism during the negotiations on the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and 1993. Finally, Denmark got the agreement in place. With four reservations. Photo: NRK But in the Folketing, Denmark’s national assembly, almost all the parties agreed to find an alternative solution. The proposal they came up with was to approve the Maastricht Treaty with four reservations: Citizenship of the Union Denmark would not accept citizenship of the Union as a substitute for Danish citizenship. This has later become a concern for EU countries if not to happen, so the reservation on citizenship of the Union has no practical significance today. The euro reservation Denmark still uses the Danish krone, not the Euro. An attempt was made to lift the reservation in 2000, but the Danes said no. The legal reservation Denmark is outside the EU’s police cooperation, border control, etc. This was attempted to be lifted in 2015, but the Danes voted no. The defense reservation It is this reservation that has been updated now. This means that Denmark does not contribute to EU military operations, either with money, materiel or soldiers. A new referendum was held in Denmark in 1993. And with these four reservations, the Danes voted yes to the Maastricht Treaty. The EU could be established and Denmark was still allowed to participate – but with very limited rights and opportunities to influence within these fields. New war – new policy The consequence of the defense reservation became clear when the EU took over responsibility for NATO’s military operation in Bosnia in 2004. The Danish soldiers returned home. The no-to-EU country Norway continued its contribution with 13 soldiers. INSPECTION: In the summer of 1999, Queen Margrethe of Denmark visited Danish soldiers who were going to the NATO operation in Bosnia. Five years later, the EU took over, and then the Danes had to go home. Photo: Erik Johansen With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February this year, a new security situation arose in Europe. Many countries – including Denmark – feel that the threat has come closer. In addition, a typical task for an EU-led force would be to enter Ukraine at some point, to conduct peacekeeping work. What the Danes will vote on today is whether they want to remove the defense reservation from 1993. 10 out of 13 parties in the Folketing recommend that the Danes say “yes” to abolition. The political opposition can be found on the wings. Those who are opposed to removing the reservation are strongly conservative Danish People’s Party and Nye Borgerlige, as well as strongly left-wing Unity List. However, this does not mean that it is a sure victory for the yes parties. Traditionally, Danes have been skeptical of the EU. As mentioned, attempts have previously been made to break both the euro reservation and the legal reservation. Both times the people have clearly said “no”. The arguments for and against the Danish People’s Party have perhaps been the clearest no-party. They have traditionally been opponents of the EU, which has created challenges in cooperation with the other bourgeois parties, which clearly say “yes”. NO-MAN: Morten Messerschmidt is chairman of the Danish People’s Party and one of the clearest no-votes in the election campaign. Photo: RITZAU SCANPIX / Reuters The chairman of the Danish People’s Party, Morten Messerschmidt, has, among other things, claimed that the abolition of the defense reservation could mean that the EU will decide on Danish soldiers. With that, Denmark gives up sovereignty, he believes. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. No soldiers will be sent to EU operations without the approval of the Folketing, they point out. If the EU were to want to establish its own “EU army”, Danish participation there must in any case be approved by a new referendum, according to the yes side. SMALL DIFFERENCE: Conscripts are training on Bornholm in April this year. The outcome of the referendum will probably not change the soldiers’ everyday lives very much. Photo: Sophia Bianca Salskov Jacobsen / THE SOLDIER EU skepticism is great The polls are not entirely unambiguous, but it seems that the Danes are most likely to vote “yes” to remove the defense reservation. Analysts still believe that the no side can win up to 6 percent on election day. They also do not believe that turnout will be particularly high, and therefore the question can be decided by the side that has managed to mobilize the most in recent days. TURBULENT: The Danish relationship with the EU has not been completely unproblematic. Photo: FRANCOIS LENOIR / Reuters Exactly what the skepticism of the EU in Denmark is due to is a complex question. That two other Nordic countries, Iceland and Norway, are outside the EU is noticed in Denmark. It will also be that Norway is involved in parts of the EU’s defense cooperation, including a project that will make troop transfer more efficient. Norway, as a non-EU country, is thus closer to the union’s defense than Denmark, which is a member. But this may change today.
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Denmark will vote on the defense reservation – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
